1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to safety devices and, more particularly, to a safety marker with a convection fan for marking areas to be avoided while concurrently producing a convection effect upon all surrounding floor areas so as to enhance the evaporation of liquids thereon.
2. Description of the Related Art
Safety markers specifically suited for use on floors or in other prescribed interior or exterior areas have been in use for years. Typically, safety markers are objects used for marking off areas to be temporarily avoided. Currently known safety markers come in various sizes and shapes ranging from small cones to large traffic safety barrels.
Three basic types of safety markers are typical for use within and around buildings and other pedestrian based facilities. These include collapsible safety markers which are made of fabric and are collapsible to allow for storage within flat or tubular containers, foldable safety markers which are typically of plastic construction and foldable upon a top mounted hinge to allow for flat storage against a wall, and stackable safety markers which are typically of plastic or rubber construction and are tapered like a cone to enable stacking for efficient storage of multiple markers.
Safety markers are typically of a bright color to enhance their visibility. Some have provisions for connecting a sign or a battery operated flashing light to enhance their visibility further. In addition to having a shape and color conducive to drawing attention, most safety markers include written warnings or visual depictions of danger printed on their external surfaces. Such warnings act to communicate the dangers inherent to the area that a safety marker is marking to be avoided. Apart from safety markers used for highway safety applications, safety markers used within and around pedestrian based facilities are most often used for applications involving wet surfaces to be avoided by the public. Wet surfaces (primarily floors) are commonly marked by safety markers in restaurants, grocery stores, factories, shopping malls, and other areas where foot traffic is prevalent and spills may occur. Their purpose is generally to prevent people from coming into contact with the wet surface so as to prevent tracking of the wetness throughout the facility and, more importantly, slips and falls due to the slippery surface caused by the wetness. Accordingly, by reducing the possibility of slips and falls in a facility, the proprietor of such facility will typically reduce their liabilities associated with wet floors and the slips and falls they may cause.
One deficiency with conventional safety markers is that they typically do nothing to improve the condition of the area over which they are being used to mark as dangerous. They merely mark or cover the area. In the case of a wetted area being marked, the area will remain wet until evaporation removes the wetness. In this regard, the marker itself does not contribute to the evaporation process in any way.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a safety marker configured to alert pedestrians of nearby hazards, while at the same time introducing forced convection for drying a wetted area of the underlying surface. These and other advantages attendant to the present invention will be described in more detail below.